Standards-based Report Cards

International School Eastern Seaboard

StandardsContent standards are designed to encourage the

highest achievement of every student, by defining the knowledge, concepts, and skills that students should acquire at each grade level.

From California State Board of Education

Why Standards-based Assessment?

Schools need to now focus on educating all students and find an appropriate way to report their performance, rather than using grades to sort students, as educators have traditionally done (Robertson, 2004).

Preparing your child for future education

Standards-based assessment will encourage your child to focus on what they know and what need to work on

Students can articulate their strengths and areas of growth

Knowing what they need to work on will prepare them for future educational demands

Instead of focusing on a grade they will focus on what they need to do to be proficient

Schools already using standards-based assessment in secondary school

Hong Kong International School

Shekou International School

Jakarta International School

Beijing BISS International School

Concordia International School Shanghai

A number of other schools are in the process of creating standards-based report cards

ISE elementary school has been using standards-based reporting for four years

Traditional Assessment/Reporting

Sort and select students

Not all students can learn, that education should "tease out" the very best, and that some students should fail

Principles, policies, processes, practices, programs and procedures were developed in which all students were taught the same way, given the same amount of time, and tested with assessments based on the "normal" (bell-shaped) curve

Standards-based Assessment/Reporting

Students do learn at different rates and in different ways

Virtually all students can learn

Given appropriate time and instruction and clear expectations, many of the students previously written off can meet or exceed rigorous academic standards

http://www.mcrel.org/PDF/Standards/5962TG_DesigningSustainable.pdf

Purpose From To

Who is Expected to Learn?

Learning is the birthright of high social-economic students

All students can learn given the appropriate time and instruction

Impact Not all students can learn. The best and brightest survive.

Equity means students have equal access to programs that result in unequal performance by groups.

Each student is expected to meet or exceed standards.

Equity means that each student receives instruction and time required to reach the standard. While all students reach the standard, differences in performance still exist.

Standards-based systems

Clear focus on high but achievable targets for students to meet

Not comparing students to the performance of other students

Content standards precisely describe what students are expected to know and be able to do

Processes From To

How do Students Learn?

Students learn in a linear fashion at the same rate.

Learning is uniquely individual to the student, non-linear, and based upon previous learning.

Impact Instruction is teacher centered.

Learning is passive. Students work individually, orderly, quiet.

The distribution of student scores resembles the normal curve. Less than 10% do top quality work and failure is acceptable.

Instruction is tailored to the unique needs of the students.

Learning is an active process. Arrangement of students from individual to group work changes continually throughout the day.

Teachers are facilitators rather than dispensers of knowledge.

All students meet or exceed performance standards.

From Ken O’Connor

Standards-based assessment practices “deemphasizes traditional grades, demystifies the entire grading process, and focuses on the process of learning and the progress of the individual student. All these desirable characteristics occur because the prime purpose of grades is recognized as communication, not competition, and determining student grades is based on pedagogy that views the teacher’s role as supporting learning and encouraging student success.”

Ken O’Connor, How to Grade for Learning: Linking Grades to Standards, Corwin Press, 2002

Four Components of Standards-based Assessment

Students are aware of the criteria (what they need to learn)

Students know in advance what the assessment will be based upon

Students are provided with feedback in order to improve

Students are provided with opportunities to show improvement in order to be successful

Purpose of the Report Card

The purpose of the Middle School report card is:

To involve parents and students while enhancing communication with the school.

To communicate behaviors needed to support learning. To report your child’s progress towards meeting

curricular standards. To inform parents about your child’s successes and to

suggest further direction.

Work Habits and Behaviors/ESLRs

Curricular Standards

Reflection

As we embark on the standards-based journey we need to take time to celebrate successes and reflect on what we have done and where we are headed.

This is a process that requires commitment from teachers, students, administrators and parents.

Questions

Home language focus groups

Talk to parent focus group

Talk to teacher report card team

Thank You

Parent GroupJames CostaSheila VanBeekMandy WellsChu ThongdeelertDimpy KongsiriKate WongdeethaiColleen CuevasErin ShortLeslie May

Teacher GroupKelley PotisitKristen KnudsenDan KnudsenCindy KohoutekHeather Murray